The No. 24 Virginia baseball team was on the short end of a pitcher’s duel on Saturday, dropping a 1-0 decision to Miami at Alex Rodriguez Park. It was the first time Virginia has been shut out this season.
The Hurricanes, who beat the Cavaliers in extra innings on Friday, secured their first series victory over Virginia since 2009.
Miami (11-11, 5-3 ACC) broke through with the game’s only run in the bottom of the second inning, when Romy Gonzalez tripled to left center to score Issac Quinones. Left fielder Charlie Cody had trouble tracking the ball off the bat and it dropped over his head near the warning track. Gonzalez attempted to score after the relay throw got away from catcher Caleb Knight but pitcher Daniel Lynch alertly flipped the ball to the plate to prevent a second run.
Lynch put together another quality start, matching a career-high that he set last week with 11 strikeouts. He allowed eight hits and issued only one walk over seven innings pitched. He now leads the team with four quality starts this season.
Miami starting pitcher Evan McKendry was just as good, limiting the Cavaliers to just three hits while fanning a career-best 12 batters over seven innings of work. For the game, Virginia (13-9, 3-5 ACC) struck out a season-high, 13 times.